blackpowder beginner

BigJake

New member
i been thinking about getting into it for awhile now, and to be honest i wouldn't wanna get one of those new fangled in-line muzzleloaders, i would want either a percussion cap or flintlock rifle. i know they have them in cabela's. does anybody have any experience with these, what should i get, what should i use, what's your set up, etc.
 
Here's some videos to watch to get ya started. I'd recommend a caplock over the flinter to get started unless you have a mentor to give you some help. Get the flinter after you are comfortable with the caplock.

http://www.cva.com/media/bp101.html

I've owned 3 of the Cabela's Sporter Hawken carbines w/21" barrel, great shooters with conicals and sabot bullets, not so good for round ball if that's your choosing, they're pretty much clones of the T/C Hawken right down to the internal lock parts, but with metric hardware.

1:24" Hunter Hawken

Their 28" barreled Hawken would be a good choice if you choose to shoot roundballs, it's got a 1:48" twist which will also shoot conicals.

1:48" Hunter Hawken

 
I did some trading and wheeling dealing at a gun show and ended up with a Cabelas Hawken .54 caliber. Not really to my taste at all, given that it had a modern recoil pad. But, it got me out of some things I didn't want and got me into something that I didn't want less (if that makes any sense!).

Long story short, I traded the .54 Cabela hawken for $250 bucks plus my agreement to build the guys Lyman GP .54 kit for him. He loves the Cabela hawkin so much he is not at all excited about getting his Lyman built. Evidently the Cabela is a great shooter!

My set up is either a .54 Lyman GP or a TC Hawkin with three barrels to choose from (TC .45, TC .50 and Green Mountain Drop in .54). Which barrel I use on the TC just depends on what I'm hunting or shooting at. The .50 and .45 barrels are 1:48 twist and as such are commonly said to be not so accurate with round balls. NOT SO!!! The .50 barrel with round ball and 70 grains of ff have won more prizes than any combo I own. The .45 is likewise very accurate with all the loads I've tried so far. The GM barrel is 1:70 twist and is also very accurate. I usually hunt elk with the .54 Lyman or the TC with .54 barrel. .54 and a round ball are very effective on elk. The .50 is more than enough for deer and some guys swear by a .50 with round ball for elk too. I don't agree, but the .50 will sure do a job on a deer or antelope.

Secret of round ball accuracy with a 1:48 twist is a tight patch and a consistent lube application. There are loads of different lubes out there and they all pretty much do the job. Once you settle on one, then the rest of getting it all to work is more the art of shooting these guns than the science.

The patch fit and quality or toughness is paramount!! Accuracy is very much about patch survival throughout the shot.
 
I was looking up muzzel loaders in Cabelas for a friend the other night and looked at every thing they have. The best traditional rifle they carry is the Lyman Great Plains rifle. If you plan to use round ball the standard rifle (1 in 60 twist) in either .50 or .54 will work great for deer, stick with the .54 for elk. If you want to use bullets (power belts,TC maxiballs,Hornady Great Plains, etc) Lyman makes the Great Plains Hunter with a 1 in 32 twist.

My wife starded out with the Lyman .50 borrowed from a friend if the length of pull wasn't too long for her she'd still be shooting it.

My wife and I both shoot .54 flintlocks hers a small trade rifle (half stock) and mine is a southern mountian rifle (full stock). For wood cutting matches I have a .58 half stock pecussion rifle. For fun guns a .69 Cape gun (a 12 ga shotgun breeched for heavy round ball loads), a .45 flinter and a Beretta percussion 12 ga. O/U.

Good Luck
AWS
 
Lyman puts out a book, all about black powder guns and loading. It's a good book to start with.

I shoot 54 cal.TC Hawhin , with green mountain barrel (1 in 70 twist) ball and patch. Theres some good ones out there, just do your home work and read up on them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif GENE'O
 
I just sold a precussion Thompson Center 54 Hawken. It was a great shooter, and lots of fun, but I'm going to go towards the new-fangled in-line, so I let it go. I'd recommend it to anyone though, TC is a good outfit overall.
 
TC has an excellent rep. and makes a fine percussion piece. But if you really want to get yourself confused - check dixies catalog. GOOD LUCK - I'm 100% with you - don't like the inlines either
 
I have 6 .50 caliber MLs. Only two are inlines. The most accurate are the Thompson Centers. I don't know if they've changed their finish but it wasn't very good so removing it and refinishing with boiled linseed oil helps (IMHO). Can I, too, suggest a percussion gun as your first attempt? You'll appreciate the simplicity and reliability. I do have a Pedersoli Blue Ridge Long Rifle that Cabela's sells, or used to. It is a fine gun but not as quality as the T/C's.
You will be supprised at the recoil differences in buttstock designs. The Hawkin style will kick much harder than the long rifle type with the same load. The T/C Renegade is a variant of differnt styles with a butt stock much like a shotgun and the recoil is spread out over a broader portion of the shoulder resulting in the least felt recoil of all the traditionals I have.
If you are going to hunt with pure lead conicals or round balls the .50 will do it but I find myself wishing for a .54 from time to time. Shooting traditional MLs fire slow projectiles that create a large wound channel like a broadheaded arrow, to bleed the animal out quickly. Some have but I've never had bang/flops with them unless spined. Great fun, though.
 
Quote:
thanks all, i think i'll go with the percussion to get started then work my way up to the flinty's.



Remember, you will also be needing a .36 or .40 for predators! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Here in the East when inlines took over the caplocks were being sold or traded-in on the newer Knight or Remington inlines. The average price for the T/C hawken was $250.00

Now that The T/C Encore or Omega have taken over the cap- lock and bolt gun inlines are old technology. Average sale price when you can find a buyer is $125.00 to $150.00.

Check the used market for the T/C hawken ...there is a deal waiting for you. T/C still has a warranty on the those old guns...its life time.

Last year I gave my T/C hawken away to a guy who didn't have a gun.
 
Yup, one of my family members just bought an unfired TC renegade .50 for $150.

If you buy used, the first thing you need to do is make sure it's not loaded!!!!!!!! Many of them are.
 
Nothing wrong with the Cabela's sporter Hawkens although they are a little pricey. Have you looked on the auctions and such for one of the Lyman Deerstalkers? They are similar but the DeerStalkers can be had for a little less right now. I had a .54 Hawken Hunter Carbine that would outshoot rifles twice its price. Really a nice little gun. Awfully nice for the treestand or jamming in and out of a truck. I traded it for an expensive Dixie Jaeger... and now wish I hadn't.
 


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